SU Voice - Alumni Blog Post

Alumni Spotlight: John Boyle '02

With football season ready to kick off, John Boyle is the perfect recent alumnus for us to highlight. John graduated from Seattle University in 2002 with a degree in Economics, but he did not go on to crunch numbers. Instead, he writes about the bone-crunching action of the Seattle Seahawks as the sports reporter for the Everett Herald.

As a student, John took elective English classes and spent his senior year working on the Spectator. “I feel like part of the reason I’m able to have a career in a field unrelated to my major is that Seattle U does a good job encouraging a well-rounded education, regardless of your course of study.”

What stands out most to John about his time at Seattle University are the long-lasting friendships he made and the community he built. While not something John was acutely aware of as a student, he’s felt the impact of the Jesuit-education in his work. It shapes the way he writes about a person-he sees the bigger picture and tries to capture the whole person for his stories.

“I love my job. I get to attend games and be behind the scenes. I’ve covered the Olympics, the Sounders, the Mariners and of course, the Seattle Seahawks. I think what I like most about my job is the variety. I know people who have to do the same thing day to day at their job, but I’ve never experienced that in mine.”

As someone who has a career he loves, his advice to the next generation of Seattle U graduates is “Pursue something you’re passionate about. You’ll be happier that way.”

And for you Seahawks fans, John said that the team is one of the most talented in the NLF and it’s hard to imagine them doing anything but great this season.

Are you an alum that would like to be featured in a recent-alumni spotlight? Contact us at alumnivoice@seattleu.edu and tell us why you’d make a great story

Comments

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Jason Welker

Posted on Friday, September 06, 2013

John is a talented writer and a great friend to many of his SU classmates! We were not only Economics classmates, but roommates, and I always knew his passion was in sports... he introduced me to Mariners games and to skiing in the Cascades! He was a 4 year member of the SU Alpine Ski team too!
We&apos;re proud of John and how he&apos;s followed his passion and made a successful career out of it! I never make a trip back to Seattle without hooking up with John and other SU classmates to catch up on the last 10 years since I moved away from Seattle! It&apos;s SU friends that keep my wife (Liz Wargo, SU class of 2002) coming back every year to visit.